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Oh, that Word: Adversity

It’s What Makes Us Stronger

“The most beautiful people I’ve known are those who have known trials, have known struggles, have known loss, and have found their way out of the depths.” – Elisabeth Kübler-Ross

Funny how we hate going through the things we go through. I’m no different.

Isn’t it terrible in the moment when someone says, “It’ll make you stronger?”

Even though it’s not the thing you want to hear, as you do get older you realize that adversity does make you stronger.

College Adversity in 1995

When I graduated from high school in 1994, I was recruited to play college football at the University of Pacific (UOP) as a wide receiver. Back then UOP (Stockton, California) was a Division 1-A school but had a long string of losing seasons so they didn’t get much national recognition.

In 1995, my second year on the team, I made a name for myself on the team, putting myself in a position to be a contributor for the following years. I worked hard and I loved the school. Things couldn’t have been any better.

But after the 1995 season, the Board of Regents at the school voted to cancel the program because of the financial strain on the school. They did it when everyone left town for Christmas break and we found out during the sports segment on our news channel.

Soon after, we received phone calls from the coaching staff. They told us that everyone was scrambling what to do next. Coaches needed to find new jobs for next season. Players needed to decide if they should stay at UOP and finish their education or transfer so they could finish their football career somewhere else.

Starting Over Somewhere Else was a Lesson in Adversity

I loved football so much and wanted to continue playing, but I also had created some life-long friendships and I thought the education I was getting at UOP was top-notch. It wasn’t an easy decision but I decided to transfer somewhere else to play football.

Just one week after the UOP program was canceled, I had met up with some coaches at St. Mary’s College in California. They welcomed me to the program so I could finish my collegiate career there and graduate.

I have no regrets about leaving UOP and I think I learned a lot about life during that experience.

I’m sure there will be a time in the future when my two boys are older (they are 3 and 8 now) and they go through a similar experience. That will be an opportunity to tell them this story to help them through their own adversity.

Thanks for checking out this blog post. I would love to hear back from you. What kind of adversities have you dealt with in your life and how did you get through them? FEEL FREE TO COMMENT BELOW!

If you would like to connect with me, here is my contact info:
email:chrismclaughlin408@gmail.com